Licinius
Licinius, also referred to as "The Infiltrator", was a Sovereign. Neither of these identifiers is his real name: Licinius was a false name assumed by him during his infiltration into the Covenant Empire and later in the Blood Covenant and the Brotherhood of Ruskt while disguised as a Jiralhanae. "Infiltrator" is a term used to refer to him in Sovereign transmissions, which utilise translation software so advanced that it incorporates idioms from the reader's own experience. His true name, homeworld, date of birth, and even gender remain mostly unknown. Assumptions have been made for the purpose of description. He was responsible for most of the Sovereign invasion of the galaxy, and was sent ahead of the invasion to gather intelligence and to weaken various governments from within to make conquest easier. Sovereign history and activity in the Milky Way is difficult to discern, and is entirely concerned with the final stages of the Labyrinth Array. Exactly when Licinius arrived here, and how long he has been manipulating events in this galaxy, is unknown, and is likely to remain that way. His life before his arrival will likely remain a mystery as well - so little is known of the Sovereigns that not even speculation can be hazarded. What is known is that he influenced at least some members of the Covenant - the Governors of Contrition may have had their basis as a construction of Licinius's to further his own goals and increase his influence. Likewise, he had at least had some contact with the Prophet of Truth, and may even have influenced him to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae, igniting the Great Schism, though Truth otherwise made little attempt to bring the Covenant in line with Sovereign aims, and in fact veered wildly from them, ignoring the Labyrinth completely. There is also some evidence to suggest that Licinius quietly manipulated the Covenant war effort in favour of Humanity, deleting reports of the likely positions of colonies, and only letting out the locations of colonies he was reasonably certain the UNSC could afford to lose. After the First Great War, Licinius' movements are difficult to track. He seems to have been involved to some extent in the establishment of the predominantly Sangheili-led Governors of Contrition, and the integration of Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Lekgolo and Jiralhanae members, with many rising to positions of prominence. it is likely that he had a direct hand in the Governors' rise to prominence prior to the Second Great War, and the activation of the Praesepe Nexus seems to accomplished whatever goals Licinius was set. After this period, he ceased to be a shadowy manipulator and became a fully-fledged military commander, leading the Sovereign fleet on its genocidal rampage and search for other Nexi. Arrival and Infiltration Given the importance of the Labyrinth Array to the Sovereign cause, and its only recent activation, it is unknown how Licinius arrived in this galaxy, and why other Sovereigns do not use the same method. Speculation varies, ranging from cryonic suspension over the millenia it would take to cross the intergalactic spaces, to superluminal travel, but it is doubtful that it will ever be known for sure. What is known is that the individual that has been tagged by the UNSC as Hostile Operative 44259-7A, codenamed "Licinius", arrived sometime during the early years of the Human-Covenant War or during the preceding decades. The Covenant After arriving in this Galaxy, it was clear to the Infiltrator that the Covenant would pose the greatest obstacle to the Sovereigns' conquest, given their large numbers, technological superiority, and the fact that their religion depended on all the Forerunners being dead - the arrival of the Sovereigns would only result in the Prophets declaring them false gods and attempt to exterminate them. The Infiltrator, therefore, disguised as a Jiralhanae behind a Cloaker Skin, assumed the name of Licinius, following Jiralhanae naming protocols. He recognised the divisions within the Covenant as what they were: Deep cracks thinly papered over by a tenuous bond of religion. The Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e and Lekgolo had never really accepted the Great Journey, while the Sangheili were proud and independent and chafed at the San'Shyuum's undisputed hold over Forerunner relics, and therefore effectively the sole holders of power in the Covenant, and the generations of waiting without the beginning of the Great Journey, despite endless promises and rhetoric. Similarly, the Jiralhanae had an equally independent streak, and resented the high-handed arrogance of their Sangheili superiors, though having been a religious race before conquest, they paid uncompromising loyalty to the San'Shyuum, whom they perceived as the true Prophets of the Gods. It was a well-founded fear among the San'Shyuum elite that should the Sangheili be pushed too far on an issue, or should they uncover a cache of relics for themselves, a civil war that would result in the shattering of the Covenant would ensue. This was Licinius' goal. Over the years leading up to the First Great War, Licinius assumed a number of disguises and formed alliances in numerous areas, among them the Unggoy and Kig-Yar undergrounds, and a number of religious sects, the most important being the Governors of Contrition. While the Governors of Contrition had existed as a small secretive cult-like offshoot of the Covenant religion, under Licinius, disguised as a Sangheili, it began to rapidly gain followers, influence and prestige, eventually being tolerated, if not fully accepted, by the mainstream Prophet-dominated religious society. During these early years, the Governors were composed strictly of Sangheili, excluding members of other species despite willingness shown - it may be that Licinius deemed the Sangheili the most useful and easily manipulated species at his disposal. After the Great Schism, however, and the secession of the Sangheili as a species from the Covenant, the Sangheili-only policy began to hinder Licinius' goals. Now suspicious of all Covenant-based religious systems, the Sangheili provided very few recruits and adherents, and the Governors were forced to turn to other sources to bolster and swell their ranks. The Blood Covenant Tentative approached were made to the Blood Covenant by the Governors, but they proved just as suspicious as their Sangheili enemies, especially given the Governor's history of exclusionism. Nevertheless, new converts were found among the Jiralhanae colonies, and integration of the two species was begun within the Governor hierarchy. The former Supreme Magnate, Fera 'Korlam, would be succeeded by a Jiralhanae, Adamanthus, who would continue the integrationist policy begun by his predecessor. It is ironic that only among the Governors of Contrition did Sangheili and Jiralhanae ever find any measure of peace between themselves, and that they would in turn serve as a catalyst for an alliance between both species against them. The Brotherhood Itself a religious offshoot of the original Prophet doctrines, the Brotherhood of Ruskt would regard the Governors with a mixture of suspicion and envy throughout its' growth period. Constrained to a single colony by the Sangheili Armed Forces, used as an intelligence channel on Blood Covenant troop movements and strategies, the Brotherhood fostered close ties to the SAF, though remained resentful of the blockade imposed by their fleet to prevent their acquisition of warships. This blockade also prevented Governor emmisaries from arriving openly, though some did arrive using captured or makeshift stealth ships to try to recruit followers from among the Brotherhood. The reception they would find can only be described well as "abrupt" - the SAF also distrusted the Governors, and turned a blind eye to the murder of religious converters straying into hostile Jiralhanae territory without clearance or authority. The Invasion Personality Quotes References Category:Labyrinth